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Three Uchiha shinobi passed by a narrow alley. Muffled voices drifted out, followed by derisive laughter.
"Looks like the Uchiha bastards have finally had it coming. Just saw a patrol—their faces were so sour I nearly laughed out loud." "Yeah, like dogs with their tails stepped on. Pathetic. So satisfying." "With Lord Qianyu in charge, the Uchiha clan's finally gonna fall from grace." "Good riddance. They've been a tumor on the Leaf for too long. It's about time!"
…
The three Uchiha stopped dead. Their faces darkened. Rage boiled. Three figures blurred into the alley, surrounding the group of villagers.
The villagers went pale. Their eyes widened in fear. "Who wanted to laugh? Go on. Laugh now!" "The Uchiha clan is still the Leaf's greatest clan!" "You dare spread rumors about us here? You want to die?" "Apologize. Now. Or today you'll learn—"
CRUNCH. Three hands clamped down on the backs of their necks, slamming the Uchiha face-first into the dirt.
They grunted, straining to look up. Three expressionless faces stared down at them. Root shinobi. On patrol. Behind them stood two ANBU watchers. They stared, dumbfounded. They just… attacked?
"What are you doing?!" one Uchiha snarled, spitting dirt. "Let us go!" The Root ninja's voice was flat, mechanical. "You three are under arrest for attempted criminal acts."
Arrest? For what? "We didn't do anything!" another Uchiha shouted, struggling against the hold. "This is a setup!"
The lead Root ninja turned his dead eyes to the villagers. "Did they threaten you?" A villager nodded quickly. "Yes! He asked if we wanted to die! Just now!"
"Evidence confirmed," the Root ninja declared. "You are under arrest. Resist, and we will employ force."
One Uchiha didn't believe it. He tensed, chakra flaring, trying to break free. The Root ninja holding him didn't hesitate. A sharp twist. A sickening crack.
"AAARGH!" The Uchiha's scream tore through the alley. His arm hung at a wrong angle.
The other two Uchiha froze. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. They stopped struggling.
The three Root ninja hauled their prisoners to their feet and marched them away. The two ANBU just watched. They couldn't intervene. And they hadn't expected the Root to be that brutal.
A crowd had gathered, drawn by the scream. They pointed. They whispered. This was new. They'd seen Uchiha dragging people away before. Never the other way around.
After the shinobi left, the crowd swarmed the villagers. "What happened?" The 'villagers' spun their tale, adding colorful details, painting the Uchiha as raging bullies and the Root as swift guardians.
The listeners nodded, emboldened. "So the Leaf Village Defense Force treats everyone the same. Even the Uchiha." "With them around, maybe we don't have to be so scared of the Uchiha anymore." "It's Lord Qianyu's force. If the Uchiha cause trouble, we can report them directly!"
… Just the beginning. The seed of fear toward the Uchiha began to wither.
Half an hour later. Root Base.
Nine figures knelt on one knee before Danzō. Four of them were the 'villagers' from the alley. The other five had been the 'opinionated bystanders' in the crowd.
Nine puffs of smoke. Their disguises melted away. "Lord Danzō. The operation is complete."
Danzō gave a slight nod. This was just one team. He had sent out several. The same scene played out in different corners of the village that day.
By day's end, fifteen Uchiha shinobi were in custody. Half of them were injured—those who had tried to resist.
In the Root prison cells. Fear was a living thing here.
The cells were tiny boxes. No room to sit. No room to lie down. Pitch black. Not a sliver of light. Time lost all meaning.
But sound remained. They could hear things. Whispers. Scrapes. Maddening, unidentifiable noises. In that darkness, every fear grew teeth. Every doubt became a monster.
It didn't take long. Some of the Uchiha prisoners started to break.
Leaf Village Defense Force HQ.
Uchiha Shisui stormed into the office, slamming the door open. "What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded, glaring at Qianyu. "Are you using the Defense Force to arrest Uchiha indiscriminately?"
Qianyu took a slow sip of tea. He placed the cup down with a soft click. "I told you. If you have a problem with my methods, take it to the Hokage. The fact that you're here, yelling at me, means you haven't found any evidence of misconduct, correct?"
Shisui's fists clenched. "It was you, wasn't it? Suddenly today, the whole village is filled with people badmouthing the Uchiha! And every time one of our clansmen reacts, your men appear right on time to arrest them for 'attempted crime'! You expect me to believe that's a coincidence?"
A faint, amused smirk touched Qianyu's lips. "Evidence, Shisui-san? As my deputy, you should know better than to make accusations without proof." He leaned forward slightly. "Or didn't you know? The villagers have held grudges against your clan for a long, long time. Perhaps they finally feel safe enough to speak their minds, now that they trust the Leaf Village Defense Force to protect them." His tone turned mocking. "After all the things your clan has done, a few harsh words from civilians is too much to bear? The Uchiha sound a bit fragile to me."
Shisui's face twisted with rage. But he had nothing. He'd investigated before coming. Every arrest was technically justified—an Uchiha had made a verbal threat after being provoked. A threat could be construed as intent.
"Where are you holding them?" Shisui ground out. "Root prison." "What?!"
Shisui stared, disbelief washing over him. He hadn't expected this. Not even close. Qianyu had thrown Uchiha clansmen into the darkest hole the Leaf had to offer.
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